An Olfactory Problem
by AKJ4
Summary: "What did you eat last night?" He frowns at the apparent absurdity of her question. "You woke me up at," he glances at his watch, "Quarter to three to ask what I had for dinner?"


_A.N.: This was written in response to a prompt on the Castle Fanfics Tumblr page. See end of story for the prompt._

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><p><strong>An Olfactory Problem<strong>

"Castle!"

No response.

"Castle!" this time accompanied with a push to the shoulder.

Still no response; he slumbers on, oblivious to his wife's disgruntled mood.

"Castle, I _will_ shoot you if you don't wake up this minute."

The threat still does not elicit a movement from her husband, and Disgruntled Beckett becomes Increasingly-Annoyed Beckett. Seriously, he came in late after a night with Patterson and the gang, flopped into bed and fell into an immediate sleep. Which would have been fine; she has no disputes over his late arrival. Only Kate now has to deal with the unpleasant consequences of what exactly he participated in whilst out. She huffs as her irritation escalates. Even the sleep-induced vulnerable element to his rugged features, which she normally finds so endearing, does nothing to protect him. All it indicates is that he lies facing her, making matters so much worse. The annoyance deepens at his continued ignorance to her discomfort. That is until an idea obviously occurs to her and a sly smile appears on her features.

"Castle, wake up. Or… Or I'll withhold sex," she leans down close to his ear, her nose wrinkling a little as his breath hits her, "For a _whole_ month."

"Wha-! No! No, no no." He surprises her by sitting bolt upright, sending her toppling backwards and bouncing slightly on the mattress. "You don't have to do that; I'm awake." His voice is slightly sleep slurred but his expression holds a clear level of horror which prompts a squawking laugh from his wife despite the circumstances of the late hour. Still, his amusing blustering doesn't protect him for long, and she soon sets her features.

"What did you eat last night?"

He frowns at the apparent absurdity of her question. "You woke me up at," he glances at his watch, "Quarter to three to ask what I had for dinner?"

"Yes," she responds in a flat tone.

"And you're so desperate to know that you couldn't wait until a more human hour."

"Yes."

"You know you don't have to live vicariously through me… There's plenty food in the kitchen."

This time there is no response, only stony silence.

He's tempted to continue with his delaying tactics but she has on her interrogation face. And couple this with her earlier, far too cruel threat… Yeah, he caves far too easily, and answers with some trepidation; "Lasagne."

"Uh huh. And just how much garlic was in it?"

"I don't know!" comes his exclamation which only serves to deepen the unimpressed expression on the woman before him. He sighs, "What's this about Kate?"

"You stink, Castle."

"Don't hold back, will you," he grumps, looking every bit the petulant child.

"I'm serious, Castle. You need to go sleep on the couch."

"But I brushed my teeth!" His exclamation and attempt at defence is immediate in light of his deepening horror at her demand.

"Yeah but you still smell like you ate an entire garlic garland, which I rather suspect isn't far from the truth."

"So you're kicking me out?"

She sighs at the hurt expression on his face. Pushing aside Grumpy-Sleep-Deprived Beckett, she softens her tone. "Please, babe."

Still, it's not enough to pull him from his sulk. "Why don't you sleep on the couch?"

She raises an unimpressed eyebrow and gestures to her slightly rounded stomach. He looks suitably chastised. "Normally I'd be fine but you know how sensitive I am to smells at the moment, Rick."

The words elicit memories in them both of the past couple of months: Kate's uncharacteristic aversion to his mother's flowery perfume ; how Ryan's bacon sandwich sent her running for the precinct bathroom; the time she could manage only a mere half minute in the alcohol-filled air of The Old Haunt; and that's not to mention the toll the stench of some of their crime scenes have had on her.

Castle, now more awake and nodding in understanding, stands and gathers up his pillows.

Still, Kate feels a little guilty for how she broached her demand in the first place, and snags his hand. "I don't like sleeping apart any more than you do. But it's just for tonight…"

"And maybe lay off the Italian for a few weeks?" he adds.

She nods, glad he understands and happy his hurt has disappeared.

Stepping closer, he strokes a hand over her small bump then leans in to plant a kiss on his wife's lips. She jerks away with a frown and he immediately steps back, hands raised. "Sorry, force of habit."

Clearly unconvinced, she merely hums in response. "See you in the morning, Castle. Love you."

"'Till tomorrow, Kate." When he stops and turns in the doorway, he sees his wife already snuggling down in bed, a hand resting, as is her new custom, on her stomach. And despite his exile to the lounge, he can't prevent his contented smile.

_**Fin**_

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><p><em>A.N.: Written to fill an anonymous prompt on Castle Fanfic page on Tumblr – '(S7) Kate makes Rick sleep on the lounge'.<em>

_Although this was perhaps a little Season 7 speculation. Still, hope it's okay anon!_


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